What happens when unlikely allies work to advance similar goals? Focusing on case studies of feminist and conservative activism around pornography, child sexual abuse policy, and the Violence Against Women Act, Frenemies develops a new model of how groups that are neither allies nor opponents work toward related goals.

Acknowledgements Acronyms Chapter One: Introduction Chapter Two: Opposition to Pornography: Collaborative Adversaries Chapter Three: Beyond Politics: Child Sexual Abuse and Narrow Neutrality Chapter Four: The Violence Against Women Act and Ambivalent Alliances Chapter Five: Conclusion References

Whittier (sociology, Smith College) has written a fascinating book about the shifting relationship between feminists and conservative activists on federal legislative debates about pornography, child sexual violence, and violence against women.

"From title to endnotes, Nancy Whittier's Frenemies intelligently traverses contested terrain â Whittier unpacks a generative conceptual apparatus, three superbly researched case studies, and an illuminating stringof insights. The results make compelling reading for scholars ... I recommended Frenemies to four scholars from three disciplines inthe past two days; I confidently predict it will find, inform, stimulate, andreward a broad audience" -- Lisa D. Brush, American Journal of Sociology In Strange Bedfellows, Nancy Whittier holds up a beacon of hope for our disintegrating political commons. Combining systematic sociological analysis with deep historical reconstruction, she shows how conservatives and feminists found (temporary and partial) common ground, helping to shift the terms of discourse over pornography, child abuse, and violence against women. Her book is a model of intellectually objective but passionately motivated comparative case study that has great relevance for addressing today's atmosphere of deep political polarization. -Sidney Tarrow, author of The Language of Contention "With characteristic insight and brilliance, Nancy Whittier makes us reconsider everything we thought we knew about feminist 'sex wars' over pornography, child sex abuse, and violence against women. This is a game-changing analysis of coalition politics. A must-read guide to navigating today's fractured political landscape." -Kathleen Blee, Author of Democracy in the Making and Distinguished Professor of Sociology, University of Pittsburgh "Whittier (sociology, Smith College) has written a fascinating book about the shifting relationship between feminists and conservative activists on federal legislative debates about pornography, child sexual violence, and violence against women." --D. J. Mattingly, San Diego State University, CHOICE

Selling point: Offers a unique comparative study on feminist and conservative cooperation against sexual violence Selling point: Develops a new framework for understanding unlikely allies, relationships between social movements that are neither coalitions nor opponents.

Nancy Whittier is Sophia Smith Professor of Sociology at Smith College and the author of The Politics of Child Sexual Abuse, Feminist Generations: The Persistence of the Radical Women's Movement and co-editor of both Social Movements: Identity, Culture, and the State, and Feminist Frontiers.

Selling point: Offers a unique comparative study on feminist and conservative cooperation against sexual violence Selling point: Develops a new framework for understanding unlikely allies, relationships between social movements that are neither coalitions nor opponents.